Will Stephon Castle and Chris Paul be a good addition to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs?

SAN ANTONIO – Tim Duncan was not present at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday morning when the Spurs introduced draftees Stephon Castle (No. 4 overall) and Harrison Ingram (No. 48) to the media and several hundred guests, but his presence was felt.

In one of those charming quirks that life sometimes brings, Duncan and Castle’s father, Stacey, were teammates for one season at Wake Forest in 1993-94. That certainly boosted the elder Castle’s pride as he watched from the front row as Spurs general manager Brian Wright presented Castle’s son with a No. 55 Spurs jersey.

Stacey Castle was a 6’1″ sophomore guard for the Demon Deacons when Duncan arrived for his freshman season. Castle was a reserve player who averaged just 2.4 points in 21 games during the 1993-94 season. Duncan, who started 31 of 32 games, nearly managed a double-double, 9.8 points and 9.6 rebounds, a strong performance but just a taste of the greatness that was to come.

Stacey Castle recognized the signs of the times and transferred to the University of Central Florida, where he finished his college career in 1995/96 as the Knights’ starting point guard. That season, he scored a solid 11.4 points and 5.0 assists.

During Stephon Castle’s media session on Saturday, an interrogator asked wryly if he had heard stories about his father “clearly out-working” Duncan in practice during the one season they spent as teammates in Winston-Salem, NC.

“I’ve heard stories about how he played (against) Tim Duncan,” Castle said with a broad grin. “I haven’t heard any about him outplaying him. I’ve heard a few (stories), and some good ones, of course, but the outplaying part doesn’t convince me.”

Laughter was everywhere, another example of what a convenient choice Castle appears to be. Of all the qualities Spurs coach Gregg Popovich values ​​in his players off the field, a sense of humor tops the list.

Castle’s side connection to Wake Forest took another turn on Monday when it was announced that former Demon Deacons star Chris Paul, who was released by the Warriors, had agreed to a one-year free agent deal with the Spurs reportedly worth $11 million.

Paul was also selected number 4 in the 2005 draft, in this case by the New Orleans Hornets. Since entering the NBA, he has been one of Popovich’s favorites and has developed into one of the best point guards of all time. In his 19 seasons with the Hornets, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, he played 80 games against the Spurs in the regular season and playoffs.

After Paul helped the Warriors beat the Spurs at Frost Bank Center on March 11 without Stephon Curry, Popovich said this about him: “He’s one of the best competitors ever in the league. He’s a great leader, a great competitor. He’s always fun to watch.”

What Popovich and the rest of Spurs Nation didn’t enjoy was the 9-foot floater Paul fired with a few seconds left in Game 7 of a first-round playoff series between the Spurs and Clippers in 2015. His shot missed Duncan’s outstretched right hand by a fraction of an inch and found the back of the net with one second left in the make-or-break game, giving the Clippers a 111-109 victory that ended the Spurs’ defense of the 2014 NBA title.

Duncan, 39, played one more season and then ended his career.

Anything Paul Castle can share, insisting he wants to be the Spurs’ starting point guard at some point, should be considered atonement for the heartache he inflicted on Spurs Nation in the 2015 series.

Paul turned 39 in May. His first season with the Spurs will be the 20th of an NBA career that is sure to earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He averaged 26.4 minutes per game with the Warriors last season, but missed 24 games due to various injuries. His value as a mentor to Castle and returning point guard Tre Jones will be as important as anything he can do on the court.

Paul is one of the best lob passers of all time and is expected to help all of his new teammates refine that skill, which is especially important for a team led by 7-foot-4 center Victor Wembanyama.

Castle, who threw a lot of lobs to UConn center Donovan Clingan in his only season with the Huskies, knows he has to put even more pressure under the ball when lobming to his new center, who is two inches taller than Clingan.

“He’s a really big target,” Castle said Saturday. “I mean, it was fun throwing lobs to ‘DC,’ so I can only imagine what it’s going to be like now.”

This year’s “Meet the Draftees” event was far more understated than the introduction Wembanyama and fellow French player Sidy Cissoko received just over 365 days ago. Back then, a full house at Frost Bank Center was in attendance for a first look at the player all of South Texas believes will eventually put the franchise back on the annual hunt for more Larry O’Brien trophies.

Just as Wembanyama and Cissoko did after their introduction to the community last year, Castle and Ingram ended their press conference with a shooting display. Castle made several three-pointers in a row, waved to the fans in attendance and walked over to his mother, Quannette Castle, who was standing on the sidelines. He leaned down and gave her a warm hug that lasted nearly a minute. Stacey took her turn and gave her a handshake and a warm hug.

The Spurs preach family as one of the most important tenets of a culture that has served as a model for every other NBA franchise throughout the Popovich era. The Castle family’s close ties contribute to Stephon’s status as a “Spursy” choice.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Castle said of being signed by the Spurs, “and I was lucky enough to be able to experience it with my family. They made a lot of sacrifices, just because I was in college. They weren’t always with me, so it was fun to go through it with them behind me.”

Wembanyama was not present on Saturday, but contacted Castle after the draft.

“We were just talking about coming to San Antonio and how much we can’t wait to get to work,” Castle said. “I can’t wait to get out there and show my versatility, especially with the talent we already have on this team.”

“I feel like our future is pretty bright.”

(Photo by Stephon Castle: Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)